Protective hygienic cover for soundtransmission and listening apparatus



Feb. 14, 1967 E. MEMMEL ETAL 3,304,379.

PROTECTIVE HYGIENIG COVER FOR SOUND-TRANSMISSION AND LISTENING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVI. N i OW;

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E SE JHHN Feb. 14, 1967 E. MEMMEL ETAL PROTECTIVE HYGIENIC COVER FOR SOUND-TRANSMISSION AND LISTENING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 5, 1963 United States Patent 3,304,379 PROTECTIVE rrrGnsNrc covEn FOR soUNn- The present invention relates to a protective cap or cover for ear-pieces and/ or mouth-pieces of electric speaking and/or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, which consists of a porous flexible material and is adapted to be slipped with the open end thereof over the earor mouth-piece under slight mechanical pre-stress.

A known prior art type of such protective cap consists of a pouch-shaped fabricated textile or fabric material which is provided within a seam extending along the rim of the aperture with a strip of elastic or with a band extending with both ends thereof out of the seam. If one intended to carry such a cap along in the pocket, as had been suggested already in connection with the prior art proposal, and to slip the cover, from case to case, over the mouth-piece of a telephone apparatus to be used, then this entails the danger that one transfers the dirt and contamination of the mouth-piece to the protective cap and the dirt and contaminations of the different mouthpieces collect on the protective cap. It is obvious that such manner of use does not assure the desired hygienic protection even if the protective cap is to be cleaned from time to time in accordance with the prior art proposal. On the other hand, if one were to use such a protective cap which is relatively expensive by reason of the textile material and the finishing work connected therewith, only once, then this would become uneconomically expensive with the present-day usual telephone tratlic.

It has already been proposed heretofore in connection with headphones to press out of paper or of plastic foil a protective cap intended for the hygienic protection in such a manner that it may be placed under slight prestress over the ear-piece. However, a practical realization of such a protective cap is not known to date which is primarily due to the lack of availability of simple and inexpensive manufacturing methods of appropriate protective caps which are nevertheless sufficiently sturdy and rigid and are adapted to be mounted simply and rapidly over the earand/or mouth-piece and again may be removed therefrom without necessitating a direct contact with the respective mouthor ear-piece.

The present invention is concerned with the aim to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings and to create such a protective cap as may not only be afiixed in a simple maner, with safety and without direct contact of the respective earor mouth-piece but which also permits additionally an especially simple and economic manufacture thereof.

The underlying problems are solved in accordance with the present invention substantially in that the protective cap consists of an elastically extensible, U-shaped curved hood-portion which is connected at the ends of both leg portions thereof with a securing or fastening ring that consists, in turn, of two cardboard strips with the ends thereof symmetrically placed one upon the other and simultaneously therewith forming the oppositely disposed handle portions.

Such a protective cap or cover not only offers the lange advantage that it may be seized, for purposes of mounting on and removal from therespective mouthor ear-piece, at the two tab-shaped projecting ends of the fastening 3,3@4,379 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 'ice ring without touching the earor mouth-piece even if one still holds in one hand the usual hand-set of the telephone apparatus, but also in that it may be manufactured in a conveyor line assembly production in a rational manner and therewith very inexpensively. Consequently, by reason of the relatively inexpensive manufacture, the fact may be readily accepted that each protective cap is used only once and is thrown away thereafter without having contacted at all the mouthor ear-piece during use thereof.

According to one construction in accordance with the present invention, the hood-shaped part consists of a crepe paper blank which is extensible in the direction of its two leg portions. Such a hood-part offers the advantage that during emplacement of the protective cap over a mouthpiece or ear-piece it can yield elastically so that, no tearing or ripping of the hood-shaped part from the fastening ring need to be feared during mounting or emplacement notwithstanding the simple paper material used.

According to a further feature in accordance with the present invention, the hood-shaped part consists of a hexagonal blank of which two side edges, extending parallelly to each other, are connected with the fastening ring. :It is not only achieved thereby that the circumferential area of the mouthor ear-piece, not directly covered by the hood-shaped part, is sufiiciently covered by the oppositely disposed projecting corners of the hood-shaped part but also, in particular, that such hood-shaped blanks can be conveniently and continuously cut-out of a crepe paper band and may be bonded, glued, cemented or connected in any other similar manner along the side edges of the blank, extending parallelly to each other in the transverse direction of movement of this band, with one still continuous and band-shaped cardboard strip each.

According to still a further feature of the present invention, the two cardboard strips of equal length may be glued, bonded or cemented with each other at the ends thereof and/ or may be connected with each other by wire stitching or stapling extending transversely to the strips.

According to still another feature of the present invention, the method for manufacturing a protective cover of the type described hereinabove essentially consists in that a crepe paper band corresponding in its width to the unwound length of the hood-shaped part is continuously glued together at first along its two side rims with one still continuous cardboard strip each provided with a bonding or gluing material and subsequently thereto is provided between the two cardboard strips, at the distance of the desired length of the individual cardboard strips of each protective cap, wit-h an essentially rectangular blank, that the two cardboard strips are thereupon each provided with in the area of the center cross planes of the blanks at the sides thereof facing the crepe paper, with gluing or bonding means, and that subsequently thereto the one cardboard strip is swung toward the other cardboard strip about the longitudinal axis of the common band formed together with the crepe paper and the other cardboard strip in the sense of a superposition of the gluing places of both cardboard strips and is glued together with the other cardboard strip whereupon the thus formed common band is separated along the aforementioned center cross planes into individual protective caps ready for delivery which only have to be unfolded for purposes of use.

A si nificant advantage of the protective caps in accordance with the present invention also resides in the fact that they may be folded together in a particularly simple m anner requiring relatively little space whereby they may be readily taken along in larger quantities in a container made of paper, cellophane or the like.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a protective cap for the mouthor ear-pieces 0f telephone sets or the like which are simple in construction and effectively eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages encountered with the prior art constructions.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective cover for mouthand/or ear-pieces of telephone equipment or the like which offers the desired hygienic protection, obviates the need to touch at all the parts to be shielded and permits a simple mounting and removal.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a protective cover of the type described hereinabove which lends itself readily to mass protection techniques, thereby making possible a protective cover that can be economically used only once after which it can be disposed.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a method for producing a protective cover for mouthor ear-pieces of the type described hereinabove in which the covers may be made in a continuous manner from a band or strip material without wasted or expensive operations.

Still a further object of the present invention resides in the provision of a protective cap of the type described hereinabove that may be made of relatively inexpensive material without danger of tearing during mounting thereof when in use.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of manufacturing protective caps and in the product obtained thereby which permits a packing of a relatively larger number of caps in such a manner that they require relatively little space.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a protective cap in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the protective cap of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the protective cap of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view, corresponding to FIGURE 1, of a'protective cap in accordance with the present invention folded together and ready for sale and ultimate shipment, and

FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 are schematic partial top plan views illustrating the sequence of operations for manufacturing the protective cap in accordance with the method of the present invention, the various stages being illustrated in these views only more or less schematically.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, and more particularly to. FIGURES 1 to 4, the protective cap illustrated therein is provided with a U-shaped curved hood-shaped part 1 and with a securing ring which consists of two cardboard strips 2a and 2b with the ends thereof symmetrically superposed upon each other and secured to one another. The hood-shaped part 1 is made of crepe paper which is extensible in the longitudinal direction of the two leg portions and of the web portion thereof. The hood-shaped part 1 is made from crepe paper or some other suitable elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties such that the material does not unduly attenuate or'otherwise adversely affect acoustic signals. Each of the two free ends of the leg portions of the hood-shaped part 1 is bonded, for example, glued together with the center area 3a and 3b of a respective cardboard strip 2a and 2b. As may be seen particularly in FIGURE 6, the crepe paper blank It: has the form of a regular hexagon of which two side edges, extending parallely to each other, are connected with one of the two cardboard strips 2a and 21) each.

The two cardboard strips 2a and 2b are connected to each other at the ends thereof by fastening staples or wire stitchings 4 extending transversely to the strips of which the distance is predetermined accurately in order that the finished protective cap may be just slipped, with a slight pre-stress, over the mouth-piece or ear-piece of a presentday conventional telephone hand-sets. For special purposes, this distance, of course, may be changed in each case to such an extent that the circumference of special mouthor ear-pieces is taken into consideration.

The protective cap described hereinabove may be man ufactured in a particularly advantageous manner as follows, reference being made to FIGURES 5 through 8:

At first two continuous cardboard strips Z'a and 2'b and a continuous crepe paper band l'a corresponding in its width to the width of the finished blank are guided in a common, for example, horizontal direction up to the point of mutual abutment in such a manner that the two cardboard strips Za and 2'b extend exactly along the two mutually parallel rims of the crepe paper band 1a (FIG- URE 5). Still ahead of the first place of contact with the crepe paper band l'a, the two cardboard strips 2'21 and 2'b are provided along the surfaces thereof facing the crepe paper band la with a bonding, cementing or gluing material, for example, by means of a roller 5 which immerses at the lower side thereof into a container 6 provided with liquid bonding material.

The cardboard strips Z'a and 2'b, which are subsequently glued to the crepe paper band la, appropriately under temporary mutual abutment pressure, for example, between a pair of rollers of which only the roller 7 is visible in FIGURE 5, extend as a unitary band combined with the crepe paper l'a over the matrix 8 of a stamping installation of which the punch or die 9, indicated in FIG- URE 6 in dash and dot lines, provides the crepe paper band l'a at regular intervals with apertures If) within the area thereof disposed between the two cardboard strips 2a and 2'b. The rhythm of the stamping operation is thereby so matched to the feed velocity of the entire band that the center lines 11 extending transversely to the band of the individual apertures 10 have a distance 12 from each other which corresponds exactly to the desired length of the individual cardboard strips of each finished protective cap. The form of the apertures 10 is subtantially rectangular, however, may have preferably the hexagonal form indicated in FIGURE 6 from which follow the corresponding hexagonal forms of the blanks 1a remaining between the apertures 10.

The band, after passing over the matrix 8, passes thereupon, as illustrated in FIGURE 7, over a roller 13 extending transversely below the band and adapted to be driven at a rotary speed matched to the band feed velocity. Roller 13 is provided along a generatrix of its circumference with a projecting longitudinal rib 13a which immerses in the bottom position thereof into a container, (it! provided with liquid glue and is operable in the upper position thereof to provide the two cardboard strips 2a and 2'!) exactly within the area of the aforementioned center lines 11 on the sides thereof at which they are glued to the crepe paper with a layer of glue 14.

One of the cardboard strips, in FIGURE 7, the lower cardboard strip 2'b is swung thereafter toward the other cardboard strip Za about the longitudinal axis of the common band formed together with the crepe paper blank 1a and the other cardboard strip 2a in the sense of a superposition of the layers of glue 14 of both cardboard strips 2a and 2'b and is glued thereto as is visible at the left end of FIGURE 7. Any conventional means (not shown) including guide and roller means may be used to perform such operation. Subsequent thereto, the glued connections are reinforced on both sides of each aforementioned center line 11 of the band by one fastening staple 4 as shown in FIGURE 8. Each of the staples 4 extend transversely to the direction of the band whereby the fastening staples 4 disposed on both sides of the hoodshaped part 1 formed after the swinging movement described hereinabove determine the circumferential length of each subsequently finished protective cap.

Finally, the band which is still continuous, that is still hangs together up to this phase of operation by way of the cardboard strips 2a and 2'b, is cut at the places of the aforementioned center lines 11. This may be realized in any suitable conventional manner, for example, by means of a reciprocating cutting mechanism (not illustrated) that may be driven at a suitable s eed matched to the conveyor speed of the assembly line.

The individual protective caps are thus completed, and thereafter may be collected in the folded condition, illustrated in FIGURE 8, may be directly packed and thereafter may be shipped. It is obvious that the method described hereinabove in accordance with the presentt invention forms the basis for a simple, fully automatic manufacture of the protective cap in large quantities.

While we have shown and described one embodiment of the protective cap and one method of manufacturing the same in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the present invention is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of a person skilled in the art. Thus, even though the simultaneous gluing and stapling of the ends of the cardboard strips 2'11 and Zb is preferred, one of the two types of connection, for example, the gluing by means of a gluing brush 13 or the stapling together by means of fastening staples 4 may be dispensed with. Additionally, the shape of the blanks 112 may differ from the shape illustrated herein, or in lieu of fastening staples, fastening seams may be used without inany way departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Thus, while we have shown and described one preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications, and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A protective cap for voice-frequency communication devices, such as mouth-pieces or ear-pieces of electric speaking or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped, curved hood-like part made of an elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties and having two leg portions, secured to fastening ring means,

the fastening ring means including two flexible cardboard strips with the two ends thereof substantially symmetrically superposed one upon the other and secured thereat to each other, with the two ends thereof simultaneously forming two oppositely disposed handle portions whereby the protective cap may be slipped over the device under slight mechanical pre-stress.

2. A protective cap for voice-frequency communication devices, such as mouth-pieces or ear-pieces of electric speaking or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped, curved hood-like part made of an elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties and having two leg portions secured to fastening ring means,

the fastening ring means including two flexible cardboard strips with the two ends thereof substantially symmetrically superposed one upon the other and secured thereat to each other, with the two ends thereof simultaneously forming two oppositely disposed handle portions whereby the protective cap may he slipped over the device under slight mechan- 6 ical pre-stress, said hood-like part consisting of a crepe paper blank. v

3. A protective cap for voice-frequency communication'devices, such as mouth-pieces or ear-pieces of electric speaking or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped, curved hood-like part made of an elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties and having two leg portions secured to a fastening ring means,

the fastening ring means including two flexible cardboard strips with the two ends thereof substantially symmetrically superposed one upon the other and secured thereat to each other, with the two ends thereof simultaneously forming two oppositely disposed handle portions whereby the protective cap may be slipped over the device under slight mechanical pre-stress, said hood-like part consisting of a crepe paper blank that is,

of substantially hexagonal shape provided with two substantially mutually parallelly extending side edges connected with said fastening ring means.

4. A protective cap for voice-frequency communication devices, such as mouth-pieces or ear-pieces of electric speaking or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped, curved hood-like part made of an elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties and having two leg portions secured to a fastening ring means,

the fastening ring means including two flexible cardboard strips with the two ends thereof substantially symmetrically superposed one upon the other and secured thereat to each other, with two ends thereof simultaneously forming two oppositely disposed handle portions whereby the protective cap may be slipped over the device under slight mechanical prestress, said hood-like part consisting of a crepe paper blank that is extensible at least in the longitudinal direction of the two leg portions thereof,

said blank being of substantially hexagonal shape provided with two substantially mutually parallel extending side edges connected to respective ones of said cardboard strips,

and the cardboard strips being of substantially equal length and bonded to one another at the ends thereof.

5. A protective cap for voice-frequency communication devices, such as mouth-pieces or ear-pieces of electric speaking or listening apparatus, especially of telephone hand sets, comprising:

a substantially U-shaped, curved hood-like part made of an elastically extensible material having desired acoustic properties and having two leg portions secured to a fastening ring means,

the fastening ring means including two cardboard strips with the two ends thereof substantially symmetrically superposed one upon the other and secured thereat to each other, with the two ends thereof simultaneously forming two oppositely disposed handle portions whereby the protective cap may be slipped over the device under slight mechanical pre-stress, said hood-like part consisting of a crepe paper blank that is extensible at least in the longitudinal direction of the two leg portions thereof,

said blank being of substantially hexagonal shape provided with two substantially mutually parallelly extending side edges connected to respective ones of said cardboard strip,

and the cardboard strips being of substantially equal length and bonded to one another at the ends thereof and being additionally secured to each other at the ends thereof by means of fastening staple means extending substantially transversely to the strips.

6. A method for manufacturing a protective cap of the type described having a hood-shaped part of elastically 7 s extensible material and securing ring means formed by flexible cardboard strips, comprising the steps of:

at first, continuously bonding a band of elastically extensible material corresponding in its width substantially to the unwound length of the hood-shaped part of the protective cap along both side rims with one cardboard strip each provided with a bonding material; l

thereupon cutting the band between the two cardboard strips to provide cut-outs at distances of the desired length of the individual strips of each protective thereafter coating the two strips at places located within the area of the center cross planes of the cut-outs with bonding material on the sides thereof facing the residual portion of said cut-out band;

thereafter swinging one strip toward the other strip about the longitudinal axis of the band-formed together with the residual cut-out band portion and the other strip in the sense of an alignment of the bonding places of both strips;

bonding together the two mutually aligned strips;

and separating the thus formed band along the center cross planes of the individual protective caps, where- A by said protective cap only needs to be unfolded for 1 use thereof. 7. A method for manufacturing a protective cap of V the type described having a hood-shaped part and securof the desired length of the individual cardboard strips of each protective cap;

thereafter coating the two cardboard strips at places located within the area of the center cross planes -of the cut-outs with bonding material on the sides thereof facing the crepe paper;

thereafter swinging one cardboard strip toward the other cardboard strip about the longitudinal axis of the band formed together with the crepe paper and the other cardboard strip in the sense of an alignment of the bonding places of both cardboard strips;

bonding together the two mutually aligned cardboard strips;

additionally stapling together the bonded connections on both sides of the aforementioned center planes;

and separating the thus formed band along the center cross planes of the individual protective caps, whereby the protective cap only needs to be unfolded for use.

References Cited by'the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,048,084 7/1936 Squarey 215-38 2,068,735 1/1937 De La Minardiere et al. 21538 2,374,143 4/1945 Stevenson 21538 2,487,067 11/1949 lVIorey -1 156-218 3,001,003 9/1961 Rosenblum 179185 3,001,033 9/1961 Rosen-blum 179-185 3,169,171 2/1965 Wachs et a1. 179185 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,415 10/ 1932 Australia. 226,643 6/ 1958 Australia.

5 KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT H. ROSE, Examiner.

S. H. BOYER, L. A. WRIGHT, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A PROTECTIVE CAP FOR VOICE-FREQUENCY COMMUNICATION DEVICES, SUCH AS MOUTH-PIECES OR EAR-PIECES OF ELECTRIC SPEAKING OR LISTENING APPARATUS, ESPECIALLY OF TELEPHONE HAND SETS, COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED, CURVED HOOD-LIKE PART MADE OF AN ELASTICALLY EXTENSIBLE MATERIAL HAVING DESIRED ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES AND HAVING TWO LEG PORTIONS, SECURED TO FASTENING RING MEANS, THE FASTENING RING MEANS INCLUDING TWO FLEXIBLE CARDBOARD STRIPS WITH THE TWO ENDS THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICALLY SUPERPOSED ONE UPON THE OTHER AND SECURED THEREAT TO EACH OTHER, WITH THE TWO ENDS THEREOF SIMULTANEOUSLY FORMING TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED HANDLE PORTIONS WHEREBY THE PROTECTIVE CAP MAY BE SLIPPED OVER THE DEVICE UNDER SLIGHT MECHANICAL PRE-STRESS. 